From July 1–3, 2026, Gödöllő hosted the 43rd National Conference of the Hungarian Hydrological Society, bringing together hundreds of professionals and experts from across Hungary’s water management and hydrology community.
One of the highlights of the conference was the presentation of the B-prepared project during the Flood Protection section on July 2.
Zsolt László Márkus, head of the HUN-REN SZTAKI eLearning Department, and lead developer Miklós Veres presented the project and introduced an innovative educational development entitled “Preparing the Public for Floods Through an Experiential Smartphone Walk.”
The initiative takes an engaging, location-based approach to flood awareness. Instead of relying solely on traditional educational materials, it allows users to explore the history and consequences of flooding through an interactive smartphone experience.
The walks are available through the IM-prepared mobile app in both Hungarian and English, the official language of the project.
A central element of the application is an interactive walk focusing on the 1838 Pest ice flood, one of the most significant floods in the history of Budapest.
By combining historical information with a mobile, location-based experience, the application offers users a new way to understand what happened during the devastating flood and why flood preparedness remains important today.
The development of the walk builds on years of collaboration between HUN-REN SZTAKI and the Department of Regional Water Management at the National University of Public Service’s Faculty of Water Sciences.
This long-term cooperation brought together expertise in digital technology, education, water management and flood preparedness, providing an important foundation for the development of the application.
HUN-REN SZTAKI’s participation in the conference demonstrates the growing role of digital technologies in communicating scientific and environmental knowledge.
By combining research, education, mobile technology and interactive experiences, projects such as the B-prepared initiative can help make flood preparedness more understandable and engaging for wider audiences.
The experience also highlights the value of long-term cooperation between research institutions and water-management experts. Together, these partners can turn scientific knowledge and historical experience into practical tools that support greater awareness and resilience.
As digital technologies continue to evolve, innovative approaches like the IM-prepared application offer new opportunities to connect people with the environmental challenges that shape their communities—and to help them become better prepared for the future.
